Supreme Court Case Could Strike Down the ACA

Supreme Court Case that Could Strike Down the ACA Puts Sexual & Reproductive Health Care at Grave Risk

WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Supreme Court will consider a case brought by Republican state officials and backed by the outgoing Trump administration that could strike down the  Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Since its historic passage more than a decade ago, the ACA has provided unprecedented levels of health care access for people who face systemic barriers to affordable health care, including essential sexual and reproductive health care. Alexis McGill Johnson, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, released the following statement ahead of the upcoming oral arguments.

Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement that , As the nation continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, and just one week after voters soundly rejected the Trump administration’s relentless attacks on our health care, tomorrow the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could destroy the Affordable Care Act. The fact that this case has been brought at all is as absurd as it is cruel. From the protection of preexisting conditions, to Medicaid expansion, to birth control coverage with no out-of-pocket costs, the ACA has been this generation’s biggest advancement for women’s health and for sexual and reproductive health. Our leaders, including President-elect Biden’s new administration, must act now to protect the essential care and coverage guaranteed by the ACA. And Planned Parenthood Action Fund will stand with them in the fight to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, quality health care.”

Eliminating the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would mean the loss of:

• Health insurance for 29.8 million people;
• Protections for people with preexisting conditions;
• Medicaid expansion, which has expanded health coverage to millions of people, many of whom are women of color;
• Mandated coverage for pregnancy, labor, and delivery, which prior to the ACA could result in tens of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs;
• Guaranteed birth control coverage with no out-of-pocket costs;
• Prohibitions on charging women more for health care and protections against sex discrimination in health care; and
• The requirement that young people must be allowed to stay on their parents’ insurance up to age 26;

Gains made to address the very real gap in health care access that exists for people with low incomes and Black and Latino people due to centuries of discriminatory economic policies, red-lining, and institutional and structural racism.

By expanding health coverage as well as birth control access to millions, the Affordable Care Act has been a game changer for women. Before the ACA, millions of women were denied coverage because of so-called “pre-existing conditions” like breast cancer, pregnancy, or domestic abuse. Some were forced to pay more for insurance just because they were women. What’s more, all people faced limits on the amount of coverage they could use in their lifetime — so one serious illness could mean bankruptcy. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is fighting to protect the ACA and all other health care laws that support sexual and reproductive health.